COLLODI

Pinocchio 1.21 · 1.21

He listens — nothing

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Poi si messe in ascolto, per sentire se c'era qualche vocina che si lamentasse. Aspettò due minuti, e nulla; cinque minuti, e nulla; dieci minuti, e nulla!

Then he set himself to listen, to hear whether any little voice would moan. He waited two minutes, and nothing; five minutes, and nothing; ten minutes, and nothing!

Word by word

PoipoyThensiseeoneselfmesseMES-sehhe set himselfineentoascoltoas-KOL-tolistening,perpertosentiresen-TEE-rehhearsesehwhetherc'eraCHEH-rathere wasqualcheKWAL-kehsomevocinavo-CHEE-nalittle voicechekehthatsiseeoneselflamentassela-men-TAS-sehmight moan.Aspettòas-pet-TOHHe waiteddueDOO-ehtwominutimee-NOO-teeminutes,eehandnullaNOOL-lanothing;cinqueCHEEN-kwehfiveminutimee-NOO-teeminutes,eehandnullaNOOL-lanothing;dieciDYEH-cheetenminutimee-NOO-teeminutes,eehandnullaNOOL-lanothing!

The setting

He stops and listens for the voice. Two minutes, five, ten — nothing.

A note on this passage

The counting — two minutes, five, ten, each capped with the same bare <i>e nulla</i> — is the rhythm of a child’s patience wearing thin, and of the carpenter’s nerve steadying. Collodi lets the silence stretch just long enough for Master Cherry (and us) to start believing it is over.

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Pinocchio 1.21 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/pinocchio/1.21/